Sam Allardyce and Wes Brown debate Sunderland promotion chance as Black Cats questioned
The former players have had their say
Former England boss Sam Allardyce has questioned Sunderland's durability this season and asked, “can they hold their nerve.”
Now 70, the ex-Bolton and West Ham man also managed the Black Cats for a spell in 2015 having played for the club in 1980. He has been discussing Sunderland’s prospects this season with former Black Cats defender Wes Brown.
Speaking on the Footy Accumulators No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce urged head coach Regis Le Bris to “hammer” the board and “not just sit on what you’ve got” after Sunderland’s flying start to the season, which continued with a 0-0 draw at QPR on Saturday.
When asked about Sunderland’s promotion chances, Allardyce said: “They’ve sustained it up until now, will they hold their nerve?
Whether they get twitchy after Christmas, and then there’s the injury period over Christmas and whether the squad is big enough, all these things are what you’d be planning if you’re the coach.
“We are where we are now, and no coach talks about one game at a time. You’re thinking about what’s coming, and what’s going on, and what’s happening.
“I think he’s hopefully of the mind to say, what does the future look like in the next month or two after Christmas, and what will I need in January? Because if you’re there, you’ve got to hammer the board for what you need and not just sit on what you’ve got. Because the board will say to you ‘Well, you are where you are, it’s alright’ and you’ve got to say, ‘no, just a minute this is happening, that might happen, we need this, or we need a couple of players’ – even if you’ve got no injuries, because then you can push on.”
Brown added: “I just think they’ve accepted the challenge. The manager’s got the players to accept it, he’s trusted them, and they’ve just gone out there and rewarded him. They’re having fun, scoring, won some big games. And it’s tough up there.
"When it’s bad, it’s bad, but when it’s good, everyone’s behind you. With the previous seasons, some of the bad results, especially the second half of the season, they’ve faded away a little bit. Hopefully, they’re accepting that challenge and they’re just going to battle on now.”
Allardyce then finished the conversation by giving his backing to Le Bris: “I don’t think he’s a very experienced coach in this country, is he? If you’re on top, you’ve got to look after the Christmas period. The real importance of being successful and sustaining Sunderland’s success is his [Le Bris] determination. Even though the board might not want to give him what he wants. If they do, it could take them to the land of the richest game in the world, promoted from the Championship to the Premier League.
“If he gets that promotion, he’s making hundreds of millions for Sunderland at least for three seasons, because even if they go down again there’s still parachute payments, which helps in securing the financing again. If you’ve got the opportunity, you’re top Christmas coming up, before the fade happens, protect yourself against it. I hope he does it.”